ORANGE COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL : University Can’t Overcome Itself or Newport Harbor

Early in the second half Thursday night, University High School was on the Newport Harbor six-yard line, threatening to score. University running back Jim Roberson took the ball and disappeared into a crowd of blue and white jerseys.

And out of that pile came Newport Harbor’s Tom Walker, ball in hand, who ran 95 yards to score a touchdown, putting the Sailors ahead, 17-0.

The play epitomized a dismal evening for the Trojans, who couldn’t overcome their two biggest obstacles--Walker and themselves--and dropped their third Sea View League football game, 20-6. Newport Harbor is 6-2 overall, 2-1 in league play.

Running back and strong safety Walker dominated the game, carrying the ball 21 times for 167 yards, catching an 11-yard pass from Kirk Summers (6 of 11 for 57 yards and 1 touchdown) and hauling down an interception with under 5 minutes to play.

Walker, a junior who is starting in place of injured Scot Morency, made his biggest contribution when he stripped the ball from Roberson, squelching University’s momentum.

“(Sailor lineman) Dave Lamb stood him up, and I saw the ball coming out and just took it,” Walker said.

But it wasn’t Walker alone who defeated the Trojans. University hurt itself with penalties and an inability to make big plays while in scoring range. The Trojans were penalized 8 times for 60 yards and had a touchdown called back because of holding. That came five plays before Roberson turned the ball over to Walker. Roberson carried 16 times for 137 yards.

Newport Harbor’s first touchdown came in the second quarter, a 9-yard pass from Summers to Jason Johnson, set up by a Trojan personal foul. Jeff Jacobs added two field goals, a 48-yard kick in the second quarter and a 22-yard kick in the fourth.

University’s only score was a 1-yard touchdown by David Liebke. A pass play on the two-point conversion attempt failed.